Death Sentence for Kasab is Easy Way Out
A special Mumbai Court judge on Thursday sentenced Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab to death for his role in the 2008 Mumbai bombings. Kasab who is from Pakistan was the only gunman captured alive. The method of execution in India is by hanging. Many organizations including prominent Muslim organization in India have welcomed the verdict.
Prominent Shia scholar and Vice President of the powerful All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Kalbe Sadiq said that “There could not have been any lesser punishment than capital sentence to Kasab who is responsible for the killing of scores of innocent people and it is the right decision”. Very few Indians disagree with him. The crimes committed by Kasab and his Pakistani colleagues in Mumbai in November 2008 were horrific. It was seen live on television all over the world.
Although Kasab has been sentenced to death it is very likely that it will take years if not decades before he is actually executed if at all. Most democratic countries have decided against execution. The only two exceptions are the United States and India. But there is a difference between United States and India on this issue. India has for all practical purposes stopped executing prisoners. It is estimated that India has about 308 prisoners on death row. But only one person has been executed since 1992. In addition India has never executed a foreign national. So it is highly unlikely that Kasab will be put to death.
A punishment is often considered as a just retribution. It can also be considered as a reformation and a prevention process. If we execute Kasab it only serves one purpose which is retribution. There is no question of reformation once a person is dead and it is also very unlikely to prevent more people from becoming terrorists. So what should India do with Kasab?
Although Kasab is a cold blooded killer everybody knows that he was just a pawn. The system that recruited and trained him and supported his actions remains intact. It is the capture of David Headley by American intelligence agencies that broke this case wide open. If the Americans did not capture David Headley then the people who planned and organized these attacks would still be freely roaming around in India even today.
So if we execute Kasab then what kind of message does it send to the rest of the world? Eighteen months after the attacks all we have done is to award the death sentence to a hired gunman. Our government could not bring any of the key perpetrators and their organizations to justice.
Other than just complaining we have been unable to force the Pakistani government to arrest the leaders of the groups that carried out these attacks. Even more embarrassing is the fact that the Indian government is yet to interview David Headley. Our government had no input into the David Headley plea agreement (under the terms of the agreement the United States government has promised David Headley that he will not be extradited to India).
The Indian government should have made it clear that the plea agreement is totally unacceptable and unfair. David Headley’s actions resulted in the death of hundreds of Indian citizens. He should be brought to India. If Osama Bin Laden is arrested by a country then wouldn’t the United States expect him to be extradited to the Untied States to face justice?
Other than vengeance there is nothing to be gained politically by executing Kasab. Keeping him in prison for the rest of his life does not make sense financially. Recently I have been thinking whether it would be a good idea to transport Kasab from the high security Arthur Road Prison to the India – Pakistan border in Wagah (near Amritsar) and hand him over to his family in Pakistan. The whole event should be broadcast live.
Pakistan has so far denied any role in the November 2008 killings. Maybe when they see Kasab and his family and the grand reunion they might change their minds!!
Related posts:
- Ajmal Amir Kasab & Faisal Shahzad
- India Moving Away From the Death Penalty
- Is India or America Better At Tackling Terrorism?
- Death Penalty Will Prevent Hijacking?
- “Terror in Mumbai” Shown on CNN
Category: News & Government